lotrminecraftmodfandomcom-20200222-history
Gulfing Settlement
Gulfing settlements are very large structures in the Gulf of Harad. They can occasionally be found throughout the biome, and generate in a similar fashion to vanilla villages, with varying structures. Small, rural villages are the most common, with fortifications being rarer, and towns being the largest and rarest. Near Harad players will definitely want to visit settlements, as there's lots of loot to be found in them, and they offer plenty of questing opportunities. All settlements have a name, and a date that they were founded, which was sometime in the Third Age. __TOC__ Types of settlements Fortifications Fortifications are squarish, medium sized structures and more militaristic in style. There is a warcamp in the center, protected by fences and wooden beams. The outside is guarded by a watchtower in each of the four corners. Between them on each side, except for the direction in which the gate is pointing, there are three farms or pastures. Village Ordinary, rural villages are the smallest variant, and built in a circle, much like the Gondorian and Rohirric villages. Those villages have got a totem in the center, surrounded by a circular road. A signpost there shows name and founding date of the village. Around the road, several houses, normally including a tavern, form an inner cicrle. A smithy is often included here as well. Farms, pastures and hay bales form the outer circle. Town Towns are the largest Gulfing settlements. They are entirely surrounded by a circular wall, and contain many houses, taverns, farms, pastures and hay bales . In the center of each town there is an impressive ziggurat on a round central place, illuminated by lamp-posts. The roads form a huge cross. At the end of each road an important building is located: The entrance, the bazaar, a totem, and an altar. The bazaar offers many good trading opportunities, with multiple traders. The town is guarded by four watchtowers located near the wall. Finding settlements As with all the Mod's settlements, Gulfing settlements need a large amount of flat land to spawn. That means that the first rule of thumb when searching for settlements is to look for an area of flat land. Then, keep on looking, as settlements don't spawn very frequently. Note, that they do no longer spawn in scrubland (since ). They're well worth finding, however, owing to their plentiful loot and questing opportunities. Structures The following structures can be found in Gulfing settlements: *Bazaar *Farm *Hay Bales *House *Lamp-post *Pasture *Sacrificial Altar *Smithy *Tavern *Totem *Village Signpost *Wall *War Camp *Watchtower *Ziggurat Gulfing Ziggurat Gulfing ziggurats are a quite impressive terraced buildings, made of Haradric brick. They are located on the central place of each town, surrounded by lamp-posts. The three floors sit on each other like pyramids. Each side seems to have an entrance, but those are solid walls, made of red Haradric brick with a skull in front of each. On the outside, stairs lead up to the upper levels. The top level has battlements and a reed roof supported by Haradric pillars. 350px|left|thumb|The meaning of 'Ziggurat' is long forgotten, but some ascribe it to a Númenorean name for the Gulfing god Mulkhêr. A spiral staircase leads down to the lower levels. On the third floor, several reed baskets offer some minor loot, like equipment, bones or obsidian shards. The second floor has only a lot of skulls on the floor and on some tables. With the flooring partially made of smoking Mordor rock, it looks quite sinister. The first floor is solid sandstone and thus inacessible. Although, the building looks quite important, no spawn here. Only two NPC Respawners - one on the roof, one embedded in the sandstone of the first floor - make sure, that the building is always well populated. Gulfing Bazaar If you are visiting a town for the opportunity to trade goods, the bazaar is the right place to go. Gulfing bazaars are fenced off from the rest of the town by a stockade. A gate, guarded by two warriors in front of two small towers, grants entrance. Inside, five random market stalls are located, in which different traders sell their goods and are willing to buy some of your stuff. These market stalls are similar to those in Southron bazaars. Besides of the stalls, you'll find melons, logs, an empty barrel, a cauldron, some hay bales, two suspended cages with birds in them and two huge rib bones, probably from a Mûmak skeleton. 350px|left|thumb|Melons out of Far Harad are but some of the goods sold in Gulfing bazaars. Gulfing Totem A Gulfing totem is a statue made of palm wood, bone blocks and red wool, decorated with banners of the Gulf of Harad. It is part of each town and center of the villages. The statue resembles a great Mûmak standing upright on its hind legs. Gulfing Sacrificial Altar A Gulfing sacrificial altar is a building made of palm wood, bone blocks and red wool. It is part of each town. From three directions, stairs are leading up to a central room, where on an altar, made from smoking Mordor rock, lies a skull. As the name and the skull implies, here the Gulfings bring their offerings to Mulkhêr. 350px|left|thumb|Gulfing priests wield great power within the towns they serve, leading in many religious and political affairs. Gulfing Watchtower Towns and fortifications are guarded by four watchtowers each. Rural villages are unprotected. Watchtowers are made of bricks, dragonblood wood, reed and red wool, with spikes made of bone blocks protruding from the walls. The three floors are interconnected by a climbable rope. Only the ground floor contains a reed basket with some loot, a barrel with some alcoholic drink, and a table with a skull, a plate and a drinking vessel. The towers are occupied by armed Gulfing warriors and archers. 350px|left|thumb|Watchtowers offer a commanding view over the plains near the Gulf. Gulfing Wall Only towns are completely surrounded by circular walls made of Haradric brick, sandstone, dragonblood and palm fences. The picture shows parts of the wall at the entrance, decorated with banners of the Gulf of Harad. It also includes one of the signposts located there. Gulfing War Camp Only fortifications have got a war camp in the center. It is a decent sized, fenced-off area, made of palm wood, reed and red wool, with spikes made of bone blocks protruding from each wall. It is over and over decorated with banners of the Gulf of Harad. The only entrance, a Haradric gate, is heavily guarded by Gulfing warriors and archers. Inside, a lot of Gulfen armour can be found on armour stands and Haradric equipment mounted on the walls or in reed baskets. The front of the courtyard is illuminated by two lamp-posts. In the back, two horses are tethered to fence posts and fed with some hay bales. In the corners of the courtyard, two barracks provide three straw beds and two reed baskets each, plus one barrel with alcoholic drinks. Some haybales mounted on fence post serve as practice dummies for warriors and archers. The ground floor of the central building holds a , a , an anvil, an ordinary furnace, and a reed basket. A ladder leads up to the second and third floor, which holds no loot. Up there, usually a warlord can be found, who allows you to hire Gulfing troops, if you've got enough alignment with the . The building is topped off by a Gulfing totem. 350px|left|thumb|Heavily fortified, war camps are constant garrisons against the threat of brigands. Gulfing House Gulfing houses are the main structures in villages and towns. Fortifications have no houses included. The houses are quite big, round buildings with some windows and a door in one side. They are built out of palm wood and have got a reed roof with a hole in the middle. The inside has a wooden flooring with a center of red sandstone, occasionally strawn with thatch. A straw bed, tables with , an oven and a filled cauldron offer some comfort for the everyday life. A , a and a reed basket with some loot complete the furnishing. The houses are inhabited by a female and a male Gulfing each. 350px|left|thumb|Gulfing houses provide excellent shelter from the summer storms out of Khopazûl. Gulfing Smithy Gulfing smithies sometimes replace ordinary houses in villages and towns. Fortifications have no smithies included. Smithies are slightly smaller than ordinary houses, but look much alike from the ouside. They are also built out of palm wood and have got a reed roof with a hole in the middle. The most noticable difference is, that they've got the smith's workyard attached to it, which is fenced in with dragonblood wood with red wool and bone spikes attached to it. The inside of the house itself has a wooden flooring with a center of red sandstone. A straw bed, tables with , and flowerpots, an oven and a offer a comfortable possibitly to recreate after a hard days work. A reed basket holds the smith's personal belongings. The workyard is paved with red sandstone and holds an alloy forge, Gulfen armour mounted on an armour stand, an anvil, a filled cauldron, a and a second reed basket with some loot. If you've got enough Near Harad alignment, the smith will be willing to trade with you, or repair your stuff. 350px|left|thumb|The workspace of a skilled Gulfing Smith. Gulfing Tavern Gulfing taverns sometimes replace ordinary houses in villages and towns. Fortifications have no taverns included. Taverns are considerably bigger than ordinary houses, but look much alike from the ouside. They are also built out of palm wood and have got a reed roof with quite a big hole in the middle. A sign with the name of the tavern, fixed above the entrance, greets the weary wanderer. The inside of the tavern has a red sandstone flooring strawn with thatch. A lot of benches and tables with , and flowerpots populate the place, which is decorated with banners of the Gulf of Harad. No reed baskets are found in the taverns. In the center, the counter area offeres two furnaces with Kebab stands, a cauldron, two barrels with alcoholic drinks, a and a . Here works the bartender, who might be willing to trade with you, if you've got at least neutral Near Harad alignment and enough coins to spend. 350px|left|thumb|As in much of the world, Gulfing taverns act as gathering places for townsfolk to exchange news. Gulfing Farm Normally, several farms are found around the perimeter of each type of Gulfing settlement. They are surrounded by palm fences and decorated with red wool and bone pillars, just like the pastures. In the center, a scarecrow keeps watch and scares off thieving birds. Two slaves of Harad tend the to sustain the settlement. Sometimes, they are joined by a farmer, who might be willing to sell you some crops, or buy a few tools, if you've got at least neutral Near Harad alignment and enough coins to spend. Gulfing Pasture Normally, several pastures are found around the perimeter of each type of Gulfing settlement. They are surrounded by palm fences and decorated with red wool and bone pillars, just like the farms. A variety of farm animals can be found here, along with some hay bales. Hay Bales A farm or a pasture may always be replaced by some hay bales, piled up to stacks. This might be a good source for wheat. Gulfing Lamp-post Lamp-posts are used to illuminate the central round place around the Ziggurat. A simpler variety is also used on the courtyard of the war camp. Gulfing Village Signpost Each village contains two signposts, near the totem in the center. The towns have got two signposts near the wall at the entrance. Each signpost shows the name and the founding year of the settlement. The year is shown in rather than in Shire Reckoning. Category:Near Harad Category:Gulfing Category:Looting Category:Settlement Category:Structures Category:Harad Category:Captain Structures Category:Tavern